With the recent staff changes and the promotion of running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Clarence McKinney to offensive coordinator, it seemed fitting that the person who inherited the recruiting coordinator title from McKinney was receivers coach David Beaty.

Beaty and McKinney are two of a kind when it comes to recruiting. Both are former high school head coaches in major metropolitan cities (Beaty in Dallas, McKinney in Houston). Both have been in coaching for more than 15 years.

And both played huge roles in helping the Aggies compile the 2013 recruiting class by scouring their former stomping grounds.

McKinney was the lead recruiter on the Aggies' top recruit, ESPN 150 receiver Ricky Seals-Jones of Sealy (Texas) High School. Beaty led the way on the team's top defensive recruit, ESPN 150 defensive tackle Justin Manning of Dallas Kimball.

Beaty pulled three ESPN 300 players from the Dallas area and played a significant role in the recruitment of nine prospects, all but one of which came from the Metroplex.

McKinney had similar success in Greater Houston. He played a role in eight of the class' signees, all of which came from in or around the Bayou City.

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin takes pride in having a staff that can coach and recruit well, and others played key roles as well. Secondary coach Marcel Yates was instrumental in the recruitment of three ESPN 300 prospects, including ESPN 150 receiver Sebastian LaRue. Assistants B.J. Anderson and Terry Price hauled in highly touted players such as Isaiah Golden and Ja'Quay Williams, respectively. And a few former A&M coaches who have moved on to other places certainly did solid jobs as well.

But the heart of the Aggies' recruiting under Sumlin is in its home state, and its two most important areas are Dallas and Houston. Beaty and McKinney mined those areas well in 2013.